Packaging



April 1942- R. R. RlcHAFmsoN 2,279,381

PACKAGING 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 24, 1937 mum w WNW llUlilll! llIlW fig; I

April 14, 1942. v

v R. R. RICHARDSON PACKAGING Filed Dec. '24, 193'? 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 (ii/s.

;April 14, 1942. R. R. RICHARDSON,

PACKAGING 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Dec. 24, 1957 Patented Apr. 14,1942

'Ralph B. Richardson, Chicago, Ill., assignor, by

meme assignments, to Chicago Carton Company, Chicago, 11]., a corporation of Delaware Application December 24, 1.93"], Serial No. 181,572

2 Claims.

This invention relates to packaging and more particularly to the production of packages for products such as food products or other products which it may be desired to remove. in small quantities from a package containing a larger quantity.

The main objects of the invention are to provide a packagewhich may be easily opened to permit removal therefrom of a portion of its content and which may thereafter be eflectively closed; to provide a package structure of the type indicated which will provide an adequately sealed package so as to be capable of preserving deteriorable products, such as food products; to provide a package structure which may be economically and cheaply produced and which may be set up for use by more or less conventional machinery currently in use for packaging purposes; and in general, it is the object of the invention to provide an improved package of the type referred to.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be understood by reference to the following specification and accompanying drawings (4 sheets), wherein there is illustrated several forms of packaging embodying featuresof'the present invention.

In the drawings- Fig. 1 is a plan of a blank for forming one form of the improved package.

Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are perspective illustrations of various stages in the formation of a package from the blank shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a perspective illustration of a completed package formed with the blank shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a perspective showing the manner in which the package illustrated in Fig. 5 may be I opened to permit removal of a portion only of the package content.

Fig. 7 is a perspective illustrating how the opened package shown in, Fig. 6 may be reclosed.

Fig. 8 is a plan of a blank for forming a modifled package structure.

Figs. 9 and 10 are perspectives showing a. package receptacle formed from the blank of Fig. 8 in opened and reclosed conditions, respectively.

Fig. 11 is a plan showing still another modifled form of blank.

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary perspecive illustrating a preliminary box-forming operation efiected on the blank of Fig. 11.

Fig. 13 is a perspective illustrating a receptacle receptacle being shown in an opened condition, and

Figs. 14 and 15 are fragmentary plans of other modifications of the package-forming blank.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to Figs. 1 to '7 inclusive, the package.

structure there shown is formed from a blank designated IS, the same being provided with a series 'of fold lines designated I'I, score lines I8, and fold lines 18a, which extend across the blank and divide the same into panels adapted to be folded to form a receptacle and closuretherefor.

The said fold and score lines-divide the blank l6 into panels comprising a bottom panel 19, front and back side walls 20 and 2|, end walls 22 and 23, comer portions 24, the latter integrally connecting the adjacent ends of the side formed from the blank shown in Fig. 11, the

and end walls 20, 2|, 22 and 23, a closure top panel 25, a closure front panel 26 and closure end panels 2l and 28. The comer'panels 24 are each provided with diagonally extending fold lines designated 29 and slits or slots designated 30. The diagonal fold lines 29 extend from the inner corners of the respective corner portions 24 to the inner ends of the respective slits 30, the latter being preferably disposed parallel with the fold lines forming the adjacent edges of the end walls 22 and 23.

The blank is further provided with scoring designated 31 which traverses the front wall 20 and with scoring 32 which traverses the wall panels 2! 25 and 26. The bottom panel 19 is preferably provided with fold lines designated 33 which traverse the same and connect the adjacent ends of the lines of scoring 3| and 32 which, as clearly indicated, are disposed in longitudinal alignment.

Adhesive material is applied to the inside faces of the corner portions 24 and to the inside faces of the end walls 21 and 28 as indicated by the shade lines covering said areas. Adhesive material is also preferably applied in a band indicated at 34 extending across the length of the front wall panel 26.

The carton blank of Fig. 1 is set up into box form by folding the front, back and end walls 20, 2|, 22 and 23 upwardly relative to the bottom wall l9 and incidentally folding the corner portions 24 upon themselves as clearly indicated in Figs. 3 and 4. The front and back walls may first be folded upwardly and the end walls subsequently folded, although the exact order of fold is not important. By reference to Figs. 3 and 4, it will'be seen that when the corner portions 24 are folded upon themselves along'thc 22 or 23, and the adhesive material on the inside face of the projecting corner portions 24a serves to attach said corner portions in face-to-face contact to said end walls. As indicated in the drawings, the end walls 22 and 23 may additionally be provided with extensions or flaps designated 35 which are adapted to be folded inwardly in the plane of the top edges of the front and back walls 2. and 2| of the receptacle. 7

The top wall may, afterthe receptacle has been filled with the desired material, be folded over the top of the receptacle, and front and end walls 2, 21 and 2? may then be folded downwardly to overlap the respective corresponding walls of the receptacle. The adhesive material applied as above described to the front and end walls of the cover structure serves to permanently maintain the cover in closed position by attachment to the walls of the receptacle. As clearly shown in Figs. *1, 5, 6 and 7, the score lines 32 terminate in slits designated 36in the lower marginal portion of the front wall of the cover which is free of adhesive attachment to the front wall of the receptacle. In its closed condition,

the package formed with the blank shownin' Fig.1appearsasinFig. 5.

One convenient way of opening the package shown in Fig. 5 is to first tear one of the end strips designated 21 from the front and top walls of the cover and the rear wall, of the receptacle, this being permitted bythe adjacent score lines I8 and 32. The corresponding strip designated "constituting a part of the front wall of the receptacle may then be separated from the front wall andcorner 'fold along the adjacent score lines I. and 3 l, whereupon the multi-ply end wall structure and flap may be folded outwardly into substantially coplanar relation to the bottom of the package substantially ,as illustrated. when the package is thus'opened, an end portion of the package content is of course exposed and may be removed. The package may conveniently be closed, after removal of the exposed portion of the content, sufficiently for ordinary domestic purposes by folding the then exposed bottom portion of the receptacle upwardly along the fold line '32 which is then adjacent the bottom edge of the package content. To facilitate folding of the end wall structure, the adhesively attached outer ply 21 and the corner portions may be torn therefrom. The end walls 22 and 23 are of course preferably provided with fold lines such as indicated at I! to facilitate folding of the same adjacent the upper end edge of the remaining package. It is, of course, preferable that the spacing of the fold lines. 33 relative to each other and relative to the score lines it be approximately equal to one-half the depth of the package, so that there will be proper registry of the fold lines 22 (and 39) with the lower and upper end edges of the package remaining from time to time upon removal of a portion of the package content when .exposed in the mannerdescribed. It is not necessary thatthe reclosed package structure as illustrated in Fig. 7, be adhesively or otherwise secured in closed position. As a practical matter, the reclosed package may be turned so that it rests on the refolded portion which extendsover the top wall of the package, thereby to maintain the structure reclosed.

In the arrangement shown in Figs. 8 to 10. inclusive, the receptacle portion of the package is formed in substantially the same: manner as above described, but onlyjthefront wall portion thereof is provided with transversely extending scoring as indicated at 40. Also, the closureforming structure has its front wall provided with end flaps, 4|, 4| which have adhesive applied to their inner faces so that when the blank is folded to package condition, the end flaps 4| may be adhesively secured to the end wall portions of the, cover structure as clearly indicated in Fig. 9, to more or less permanently hold the blank is furthermore provided with a lip 42,.the

lettenbeing removed from that portion. of the stock which forms the front wall of the-cover structure so that a notch 43 results in the lower edge of the front wall of the cover. The notch 43 serves no particular purpose in the front wall of the cover structure and ismerely the incidental result of providing the lip 42 without the waste of any material between adjacent blanks as they are cut from a web ofpaper stock. A slit 44 is provided in the fold line between the top and front wall portions of the cover structure, the slit being adapted to receive the lip 42 as most clearly shown in Fig. 10.

The carton is folded upon the various fold lines to form a completely closed package which is substantially thesame as that shown in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, except that the cover structure, rear walls, and bottom lack the score lines. In the form shown in Figs. 8 to 10, inclusive, only the front wall of the receptacle portion is provided with score lines asindicated. It is contemplated that the package structure shown in Fig. 8 will be closed without sealing the cover structure. to the receptacle structure. It will, however, be closed or wrapped in a suitable wrapper which will be properly sealed to prevent unauthorized opening of the package. When the package is to be opened, the cover wrapper will first be cut along the bottom edges of the front and end walls of the package so as to permit" the cover'structure to be opened to the position ilin the initially closed position of the package overlies the top of thepackage content, may be grasped to facilitate tearing out of the underlying strip of the front wall along the adjacent score lines 40. The exposed section of the package content may then be removed. For example, if the package contains a product such as cheese, the section of the content may be severed with a knife within the area of the front wall opening formed as above explained. Such severed portion of the content may then be removed. After removalof a portion of the package content, the package maybe reclosed by first closing the cover structure on the receptacle structure and then turning the torn out front wall portion upwardly to overlie the front wall of the cover structure and, the package wrapper being suitably slitted or removed, inserting the lip 42 in the slot 44 asindicated in Fig. 10. The insertion. of the lip as stated will serve, of course, to maintain the cover in closed position.

Fig. 11 illustrates a blank for forming a carton inclusive.

substantially similar to that shown in Figs. 8 to 10 inclusive. The cover-forming portion of the blank is, however, so formed that the end walls thereof are provided with end flaps 45 which are provided with adhesive on their under sides so that they are adapted to be folded and secured in the inside of the front wall portion of the cover structure, substantially as indicated in Figs. 12 and 13. The end wall portions 21 and 28 of the cover structure are also provided with fold lines designated 46, 46 which permit the cover structure to be collapsed to flat condition as indicated in Fig. 12, when the end flaps 45 are adhesively secured to the front wall of the cover as shown. The collapsible cover structure may, of course, be made with other arrangements of permanently secured end flaps or corner portions and fold lines. However, the arrangement described is simple, efiicient and easy to produce with conventional box-making equip ment, and is therefore preferable.

The front wall of the receptacle portion of the blank shown in Fig. 11 is provided with a plurality of substantially parallel score lines 41 which permit the tearing out of the front wall of sections thereof as illustrated in Fig. 13, thereby to permit removal from the package of a portion of its content substantially in the manner explained above in connection with Figs. 8 to 10 In the arrangement shown in Fig. 13, the strips designed to be torn out of the front wall of the receptacle part are of substantially uniform width and the package may be reclosed by folding the torn out strips back to their nor mal position and then closing the cover structure so that the front wall of the latter overlaps the restored strips and holds them in restored position. The blank structure illustrated in Fig. 14 is similar to that shown in Fig. 8, but includes no provision for permanently securing the side walls of the cover structure in their folded position. The construction shown is merely a slight simplification which may be used to advantage in some instances.

The blank structure shown in Fig. 15 is a further simplified arrangement of the construction shown in Fig. 8, in that it eliminates both connecting flaps and end walls of the cover structure. Since the receptacle part of the package is permanently provided with end walls, it is obviously not essential that the cover structure also be equipped with such end walls, especially if the blank be provided with end flaps such as 35 (as shown in Fig. l) to overlap the end portions of the top surface of the package content.

The described structures provide packages which will be effective to completely enclose the package content and which may readily be treated so as to be substantially impervious so that such products as food stuffs which deteriorate .upon exposure to air may be adequately preserved. The blanks for forming the packages may be coated, preferably on their inside surfaces, with lacquer or they may be lined with metal foil or other suitable lining material to render the package impervious. The arrangement shown in Figs. 1 and 8 are especially advantageous in that although they embody a provision for permanently forming both receptacle and cover portions, all adhesive material is applied to portions of the same side of the respective blanks. The reclosable feature arranged in each instance so that a well formed package remains at all timesfis of course, a highly desirable arrangement, especially for the packaging of various forms of food products.

Changes in the described arrangements may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, the scope of which should be determined by reference to the following claims, the same being construed as broadly as possible con sistent with the state of the art.

I claim:

1. A carton comprising a receptacle having a side wall provided with a plurality of spaced scores extending substantially from top to bottom of the wall to facilitate successive separation from the wall and folding to an outwardly extending position substantially co-planar with the bottom of the carton, of strips of said side wall to thereby afiord access to the receptacle content, and a cover formed integral with and hingedly connected to said receptacle for repeated opening and closing, said cover having a top wall adapted to overlie the top of the receptacle to close the same and aside Wall adapted to overlie the opening formed in the receptacle wall portion for closing said opening, one of the receptacle wall portions intermediate adjacent scores being refoldable in outward overlying relation to the cover and being provided with a foldable lip, said cover being slitted to receive said lip for locking the cover in closed position. 2. A carton comprising a receptacle having a side wall provided with a plurality of spaced scores extending substantially from top to bottom of the wall to facilitate separation from the wall and folding to an outwardly extending position substantially co-planar with the bottom of the carton of a strip of said side wall to thereby provide an opening afiording access to the content of the receptacle, and a cover hingedly connected to said receptacle for repeated opening and closing, said cover having a top wall adapted to overlie the top of the receptacle to close the same and a side wall adapted to overlie the opening formed in the receptacle side wall so as to close the same, said separable receptacle wall portion being refoldable in outward overlying relation to the cover and being provided with a foldable lip, said cover being slitted to receive said lip for locking the cover in closed position. RALPH R. RICHARDSON. 

